Anyone done a ships final cruise?

Has anyone been on a ships final cruise?

Splendor of the seas is being sold to Tui and is doing a final voyage, from Dubai to Venice ,for RCI in April 2016.

Has anyone any experience of a final cruise.

Is the service and food up to the usual standards or do things slip?

Thanks

We were fortunate to be on Monarch's last two cruises. If anything, the service was better that normal, however that may have been due to the outstanding management team on that ship. It was an incredible and also sad experience.

We were fortunate to be on Monarch's last two cruises. If anything, the service was better that normal, however that may have been due to the outstanding management team on that ship. It was an incredible and also sad experience.

We were on the last cruise, too- really great service all around. The parties were very numerous, and the final going away celebration had everyone there.

I'd do another last cruise, no problem.

Especially if the ship had some extra meaning to you.

Yep! The Norway. :mad:

Personally, I wouldn't go on a last cruise. Several years ago we were on a HAL ship (the old Noordam) when it was in its' last year of sailing and it was in bad shape. Torn and stained carpets and worn upholstery in the cabin plus the engine actually caught on fire when we were docked in Arhaus Denmark. We had to evacuate the ship at 4am and take busses back to Copenhagen. That ship should have been sunk after that cruise, but they kept it going for several more months before selling it.

We were fortunate to be on Monarch's last two cruises. If anything, the service was better that normal, however that may have been due to the outstanding management team on that ship. It was an incredible and also sad experience.

After hearing about that, I remember the people who sailed Sovereign's final cruise said it was an epic party. (pun not intended) I almost booked Majesty's last b2B when it was announced, but the price went up $400 per person while I was on the phone. Since they changed their mind, I'm glad I didn't book it now.

Yep! The Norway. :mad:

When I saw the title of this thread, I had to look because I just knew somebody would mention the late, great Norway.

All these years later, the very thought of how that voyage ended gives me chills and a lump in my throat. So sorry you were there.

I don't think I could ever do a ship's last sailing. Too sad.

We did that and it certainly is an experience we will never forget. As a cruise ship she was in very good shape before going in for a major refit for her new RCCL brand Pullmantur.

The very special events and the excellent dedication of the long time Monarch and RCI crew lead by John Denton - Hotel Director made it a lifetime memory we cherish!

We did that and it certainly is an experience we will never forget. As a cruise ship she was in very good shape before going in for a major refit for her new RCCL brand Pullmantur.

The very special events and the excellent dedication of the long time Monarch and RCI crew lead by John Denton - Hotel Director made it a lifetime memory we cherish!

Don't forget all those special parties and treats arranged by Werner, the F&B director.

Don't forget all those special parties and treats arranged by the Werner, the F&B director.

Absolutely!! If I had listed all those deserving of mention I'd still be writing ;)

When I saw the title of this thread, I had to look because I just knew somebody would mention the late, great Norway.

 

All these years later, the very thought of how that voyage ended gives me chills and a lump in my throat. So sorry you were there.

 

I don't think I could ever do a ship's last sailing. Too sad.

What happened?

What happened?

I was about to ask that...

As I recall, there was a boiler room explosion. There were fatalities. Miami, after docking. http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/South/05/25/cruise.explosion/

Yep! The Norway. :mad:

We were on that cruise as well.

Yep! The Norway. :mad:

Oh wow. So sad and tragic.

I loved that ship.

As I recall, there was a boiler room explosion. There were fatalities. Miami, after docking. http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/South/05/25/cruise.explosion/

This was a tragic event but not the final voyage. 9/11 happened during her final TA. That might be what was referred to.

After hearing about that, I remember the people who sailed Sovereign's final cruise said it was an epic party. (pun not intended) I almost booked Majesty's last b2B when it was announced, but the price went up $400 per person while I was on the phone. Since they changed their mind, I'm glad I didn't book it now.

I believe the Sovereign's final cruise was not originally planned that way. I think the decision to move Monarch up from CA was done even with cruises scheduled on Sovereign. There may have even been a week or so with no short cruises out of PC. So anyone who booked in advance thinking they were going on Sovereign was disappointed.

And now the same thing with Monarch. I guess plans and schedules are fluid.

This was a tragic event but not the final voyage. 9/11 happened during her final TA. That might be what was referred to.

But Scotty, she never sailed (with passengers) again after the explosion, so I would consider the cruise that ended in Miami to be her last one. :confused:

But Scotty, she never sailed (with passengers) again after the explosion, so I would consider the cruise that ended in Miami to be her last one. :confused:

You are right. I said it wrong. I mistook this for what was said!

"Slated for retirement, the Norway sailed out of Manhattan's west side piers for the last time on 9 September 2001, on yet another transatlantic crossing to Greenock, Scotland, and then on to her home port of Le Havre, France. Her passengers would learn of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington two days later, while in mid-ocean. However, as the cruise industry reeled from the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, her owners decided to place her back into service - operating bargain-basement cruises from Miami, after a brief cosmetic refit that failed to address her mounting mechanical and infrastructure problems."

I did not remember the last portion of this when I made my input.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_France_(1961)

The fabulous Celebrity Mercury! The crew was literally in tears up on the stage for the last show. Most of the passengers were also in tears. The crew was like family. An excellent cruise...

This was a tragic event but not the final voyage. 9/11 happened during her final TA. That might be what was referred to.

Norway had nothing to do with 9/11 except having sailed from NYC on a crossing a day or two earlier.

The final voyage happened in May 2003, a routine Caribbean sailing. When she docked in Miami, one of the original SS France steam boilers blew, killing 8 crew members. No passengers were hurt.

Norway never sailed again with passengers, but was towed to Germany, where she languished for several years until NCL finessed selling her for scrap. She was renamed Blue Lady and snuck to India against international conventions due to asbestos onboard, and dragged onto the beach bit by bit until refloating her was impossible, while India's Supreme Court turned a blind eye and twiddled over ruling on the labor and environmental hazards until Norway's fate was sealed in the mud of Alang.

It was unconscionable treatment by NCL' of its former flagship and one of the last great ocean liners. Norway set a standard that took other ships years to surpass.

NCL was eventually found guilty of negligence in maintenance of the boilers.

Norway had nothing to do with 9/11 except having sailed from NYC on a crossing a day or two earlier.

Please see my correction and apology at post #19.

Norway was the first cruise we took our children on. That was around 1989 and she was magnificent. We truly got the feel of what "old world" cruising must have been like. After a full week I was still getting turned around and lost in stairways and passageways that ended abruptly.

Since then we have stayed a few nights onboard the Queen Mary at Long Beach and it will give you that same feel.

Please see my correction and apology at post #19.

Scotty G, no problem. I just wanted to help get the story straight. SS Norway was an irreplaceable piece of maritime history, the likes of which we will never see again.

I'll confess a soft spot. I made 23 voyages on Norway and have a file 3 inches thick of articles written from the explosion until her pitiful end years later.

You may still be able to find photos on the 'Net of her as she was left to rot in the humidity and shallows of India, with grand pianos, art, and officers' uniforms still on board, a foot of mold growing on the carpets, and birds flying through the open windows. It breaks your heart if you ever sailed on her.

Scotty G, no problem. I just wanted to help get the story straight. SS Norway was an irreplaceable piece of maritime history, the likes of which we will never see again.

I can understand how you feel. We came to America From Scotland when I was 10 in 1951. We sailed on an ocean liner the MV Georgic which had been used as a troop ship in WWII. Our family was in steerage with my Mum with 11 other ladies in one cabin and my Dad, brother and me in a like cabin. It was like living in a barracks. ;) A great experience for a 10 year old on our 10 day crossing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Georgic_(1931)